While gambling has been part of the South African life for quite some time, the emergence of the online casino has taken this to a whole new level. Now there are a significant number of online casinos that accept players from South Africa and, more important, allow them to make payments in Rands. Inn such a situation, it becomes vital for you, as a player, to be able to choose the right online casino to play at.

The main problem arises due to the presence of a number of online casinos that are on the rogue list or blacklist of a number of top industry watchdogs. These are casinos that look great and appear to be licensed and regulated but cause major problems for players when it comes to matters like paying out winnings and offering bonuses. Complicating matters even further is the presence of casinos that do not make it to the blacklist but are almost as bad.

That is why choosing the right casino to play at becomes very important. You do not want to be stuck with a casino that looks good and has a great range of games but has problems in other important areas. There are a number of factors to consider when choosing your online casino. We list these factors out for you on this page and discuss them all at length.

Our List of Top 10 Online Casinos for South African Players

We have tested and reviewed a large number of online casinos for South African players to compile for you a list of the 10 best ones to play at.

The first step to playing at an online casino is choosing the right one for you. Searching for the best casino can be an exercise in futility, as it is a very subjective thing, the ‘best’. You need to look for a casino that works for you, and is just the right fit for your requirements.

There are a number of factors to consider when you are searching for a good online casino for South African players. The following are the top factors to consider.

Safety and Security

The most important factor to consider is the safety aspect. That is not all; you will also need to check for the security levels. The right casino is one where you feel safe and where the gaming environment is completely secure. This means you do not have to spend time worrying about how safe your money and, even more important, your personal information (which you have to give at the time of signing up), is. The best way of checking for security and safety is to look for the licensing and regulation information on the casino’s website.

A good casino will always use industry-standard security technology, including 128-bit SSL encryption, to secure your data and money. And it will use a RNG that has been tested and certified for fair gaming by reputed independent auditors. Not just that, it will also get its payout percentages audited regularly. And to top it all, it will usually display all this information on its casino website; that gives you a feeling of trust and transparency.

Software Provider

Another major factor that determines whether a casino is good enough to play at is the software it uses. All good casinos use software from the best in the business to give players a feeling of security. The brand value of the software goes a long way in easing frayed nerves.

Games Available

The software that the casino uses also determines another important component of the online casino – the range and quality of the games available. Software from a leading provider is an automatic guarantee of games that come with innovative features along with high quality graphics and animations.

And if it is a multi-platform casino, one that uses software from multiple software providers, you are in for a treat and that is one area where the casino will always score high – good game range and game features. However, one thing you should know: Microgaming games are not available to South African casinos so if one of the software providers is Microgaming and the game range overall is extensive, you have to factor in that you won’t get access to the Microgaming games.

Bonus Range

An important element that players look for at an online casino is the range of bonuses available. There will be welcome bonuses for new players and also reload bonuses, free spins, cashback offers, weekly and monthly bonuses, and more for other players. Check not only for the bonuses but also for the terms they come with.

Based on the bonuses, the right casino will ideally be one that has some great bonuses and also easy to fulfil terms and conditions. It is important to fulfil the terms and conditions because only then would you be able to redeem any winnings earned with the bonus. That is why it is vital that you zero in on a casino with terms and conditions, like the wagering requirement for instance, that are not too difficult to fulfil.

Payment Methods

If you are a South African player, this is one of the most important criteria. You will find a lot of casinos that accept South African players but do not have the Rand as one of the currencies for transactions. It is important to find casinos that accept payments and allow withdrawals in Rands, and there are quite a few of them out there. All the casinos on our list, for instance, allow transactions in Rands.

Apart from the currency, another important thing to look out for is the range of payment methods available. Most casinos support credit cards, e-wallets, and prepaid cards or vouchers for payments. And they allow withdrawals with some other payment methods as well, including bank checks and bank transfer. The key is to find a casino that supports payments using methods that are popular among South African players. These include payment methods like SiD and EFT.

Finally, the most important thing to check for – the time taken for withdrawals. It doesn’t make sense to spend your money on games and, when you win, have to wait for ages for the money to reach you.

Customer Support

Customer support is very important at every online casino because that is the only way you have of contacting the casino if you have a query or an issue that needs resolution. Look for a casino that scores high when it comes to customer support – a team that knows its job, is efficient, and also friendly. You would also need to look out for the different ways customer support can be contacted – a casino that has live chat support along with telephone support and e-mail is a good place to sign up.

The key to good customer support is a fast response time, and that is something you should look for. There is no point playing at a great online casino with a sloppy support team.

Player Reviews

A big help when it comes to choosing the right casino as a South African player is to read up on what other players have to say about the casino from their experience of playing there. You will find a number of content repositories online, including casino forums and review portals, where players get a chance to put down their views about a casino they have played at. Player reviews are important because they are based on first-hand experience.

The player reviews can only give you an idea of what to expect. You will still need to visit the casino, check out the different features, and then take an informed decision on whether to sign up or continue looking for the right casino to play at.